PSYC FPX 4110 Assessment 3 Justice, Temperance, and Transcendence Reflection Paper
Student Name
Capella University
PSYC FPX 4110 Positive Psychology
Prof. Name
Date
Activity Summary
Forgiveness is a character strength that involves letting go of resentment, anger, disappointment, and other negative emotions toward oneself, other people, or situations that cannot be changed. In positive psychology, forgiveness is associated with emotional well-being, healthier relationships, greater resilience, and improved interpersonal functioning. Rather than ignoring harm or excusing inappropriate behavior, forgiveness allows individuals to release the emotional burden associated with past experiences and respond with greater compassion and self-control.
The practice of forgiveness includes accepting that people have imperfections, mistakes, and limitations. It may also involve giving others an opportunity to repair relationships or demonstrate personal growth. According to the VIA Character Strengths framework, forgiveness and mercy are associated with the virtue of temperance, which helps individuals regulate emotions and behaviors while maintaining balance (VIA Character Strengths Survey & Character Reports, 2021).
Forgiveness can contribute to healthier interpersonal relationships, cooperation, job satisfaction, personal morale, creative problem-solving, adaptability, and productivity. By reducing the tendency to remain focused on negative experiences, forgiveness can help individuals redirect their attention toward constructive actions and future goals.
Forgiveness as a Character Strength
Forgiveness is classified as a character strength within the virtue of temperance. Temperance involves moderation, self-control, and the ability to manage emotional and behavioral responses. These qualities are important because individuals may otherwise become overwhelmed by anger, resentment, guilt, or disappointment following difficult experiences.
Practicing forgiveness does not necessarily mean forgetting what happened or accepting harmful behavior. Instead, it involves reducing the emotional control that a past experience has over the individual. This process can create greater emotional balance and allow people to respond to challenging situations more thoughtfully.
When individuals remain focused on an offense, they may repeatedly revisit negative thoughts and emotions. Forgiveness provides an alternative by encouraging emotional regulation, compassion, and acceptance.
PSYC FPX 4110 Assessment 3 Justice, Temperance, and Transcendence Reflection Paper
The Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS) is an 18-item self-report measure designed to assess dispositional forgiveness. Rather than focusing exclusively on a particular event, the HFS examines an individual’s general tendency to forgive themselves, other people, and situations that are beyond their control (Thompson et al., 2021).
My total HFS score was 121, suggesting a tendency toward forgiveness across these three areas. Forgiveness of others has been an ongoing personal process. Developing greater awareness of personal responsibility while also recognizing the challenges and circumstances that other people experience has helped create a stronger foundation for extending forgiveness.
Self-forgiveness is also an important component of this process. Recognizing personal mistakes without becoming permanently defined by them can support personal growth. Similarly, some situations cannot be controlled or changed. Accepting these circumstances can reduce unnecessary emotional distress and encourage a healthier perspective.
Cultivating forgiveness can therefore help individuals release persistent negative emotions and develop greater calmness, compassion, and emotional balance (VIA Character Strengths Survey & Character Reports, 2021).
Relationship to Positive Psychology
Forgiveness has a strong connection to positive psychology because it focuses on identifying and strengthening qualities that contribute to human well-being. The Heartland Forgiveness Scale provides a structured way to examine an individual’s tendency toward forgiveness and identify areas that may represent existing strengths or opportunities for personal development.
Positive psychology emphasizes the development of internal resources that help people function effectively and experience greater well-being. Forgiveness can serve as one of these resources because it may reduce the psychological burden associated with resentment and unresolved interpersonal conflict.
Research has identified several potential positive outcomes associated with forgiveness, including greater tolerance, happiness, contentment, confidence, relaxation, improved social interactions, fewer negative thoughts, and potential health benefits (Toner et al., 2012). These outcomes demonstrate how forgiveness can extend beyond a single interpersonal event and influence broader aspects of psychological functioning.
Developing forgiveness as a character strength can also increase self-awareness. When individuals recognize how they respond to mistakes, conflict, and difficult circumstances, they become better positioned to use constructive coping strategies and strengthen their emotional resources.
Application of Forgiveness to Social Issues
Forgiveness can have important implications for social relationships because unresolved resentment can affect how people communicate, interact, and respond to one another. Worthington et al. (2007) describe forgiveness as having potential implications for emotional, physical, relational, and spiritual well-being.
Forgiveness can be understood as both an intrapersonal and interpersonal process. Internally, an individual works through negative emotions associated with an offense. Interpersonally, forgiveness can influence communication, relationship satisfaction, trust, and the ability to move forward after conflict.
Unforgiveness may involve persistent anger, resentment, hostility, or negative thoughts. When these emotions remain unresolved, they can contribute to psychological distress and interfere with healthy relationships. Research has linked difficulties with forgiveness to negative emotional outcomes, including anxiety, depression, and anger.
Self-forgiveness is particularly important because individuals may continue to experience guilt or self-criticism after making mistakes. Learning to acknowledge responsibility while also allowing room for personal growth can help reduce these negative emotional patterns.
Forgiveness does not require individuals to tolerate continued mistreatment or abandon appropriate boundaries. Instead, it can provide a way to acknowledge the impact of an experience while reducing the emotional power that the experience continues to hold.
How Forgiveness Supports Personal Well-Being
Developing forgiveness can influence several areas of personal and social well-being. Its potential benefits include:
- Reducing persistent resentment and negative thoughts
- Supporting healthier interpersonal relationships
- Encouraging compassion toward oneself and others
- Improving emotional regulation
- Supporting psychological resilience
- Promoting greater acceptance of uncontrollable circumstances
- Creating opportunities for personal growth
- Encouraging more constructive responses to interpersonal conflict
Forgiveness is therefore more than simply moving past an unpleasant experience. It can represent an intentional process of emotional regulation, self-reflection, acceptance, and personal development.
Conclusion
Forgiveness is an important character strength associated with temperance and positive psychological functioning. The Heartland Forgiveness Scale provides a useful way to understand an individual’s general tendency to forgive themselves, others, and situations beyond their control. A score of 121 reflects a tendency toward forgiveness across these areas and highlights the role forgiveness can play in personal development.
From a positive psychology perspective, forgiveness can help individuals reduce resentment, develop compassion, strengthen relationships, and improve emotional well-being. Applying forgiveness to social and personal challenges does not mean excusing harmful actions. Instead, it involves acknowledging difficult experiences while choosing not to remain controlled by the negative emotions associated with them. Developing this strength can support healthier relationships, greater emotional balance, and continued personal growth.
References
Pontin, E., Schwannauer, M., Tai, S., & Kinderman, P. (2013). A UK validation of a general measure of subjective well-being: The modified BBC subjective well-being scale (BBC-SWB). Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 11, 150. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-11-150
Thompson, L., Snyder, C., & Hoffman, L. (2021). Heartland Forgiveness Scale. DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska–Lincoln. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychfacpub/452/
VIA Institute on Character. (2021). VIA character strengths survey & character reports. https://www.viacharacter.org/
PSYC FPX 4110 Assessment 3 Justice, Temperance, and Transcendence Reflection Paper
Worthington, E. L., Witvliet, C. V. O., Pietrini, P., & Miller, A. J. (2007). Forgiveness, health, and well-being: A review of evidence for emotional versus decisional forgiveness, dispositional forgivingness, and reduced unforgiveness. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 30(4), 291–302. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-007-9105-8
Zechmeister, J. S., & Romero, C. (2002). Victim and offender accounts of interpersonal conflict: Autobiographical narratives of forgiveness and unforgiveness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(4), 675–686. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.82.4.675